Conference turris::womannotes-v2

Not very much to say at this point.  She is still in "serious but stable"
condition.  We are encouraged by the fact that she seems to be aware of
people around her and responds accordingly.  For instance, "Are you hungry,
Elizabeth?  Wiggle your toes if you're hungry."  And she wiggled her toes!

She still has not regained consciousness, but she has started breathing 
on her own with minimal help from the respirator.  There is also no more 
indication of internal bleeding and her daily CAT (KAT?) scans are normal.

We continue to wait.......

Carol

    
    The report sounds very encouraging.  Thanks very much.
    
    CQ

    My prayers are with her until she comes out of the coma (and after
    for the tough times ahead).  Please keep us posted.
    
    JEN (only a note reader until now)
    
    

    Well, she's not really listed as "comatose", but unconscious.
    
    Can anyone clarify what the difference is?
    
    And here's a lift - although she didn't appear to focus on anything,
    she did open her eyes for a few seconds yesterday!
    
    Carol
    

    
    C'mon, Elizabeth!! We're rooting for you.
    
    am

    I asked Elizabeth's doctor the difference between unconscious and
    comatose and he explained that it was a matter of semantics.  A
    comatose person has known brain damage and Elizabeth's daily CAT 
    scans have shown no signs of brain damage.
    
    Carol

    From someone who was once COMATOSE, I don't think he answered you
    correctly.
    
    JEN (. . . not brain damaged)

    	RE: .7 JEN	
    
    	Is it possible that the doctor meant that "comatose" refers to
    	someone with a brain injury (as opposed to "brain damage")?
    
    	Brain injury doesn't necessarily imply permanent damage, but
    	implies more than simply being unconscious.
    
    	RE: .6 Carol
    
    	(The news about Elizabeth does sound hopeful!  Please keep us
    	posted!!)

A little bit of progress on our friend this week, but she is *still* 
unconscious and will more than likely remain that way for a couple more
weeks.  Her physical activity has increased remarkably and she somehow
seems to know who is in the room with her, i.e. - a nurse with a nasty
needle, or a friend, or family.

The respirator rate is now down to four, as she is slowly being weened 
off of it.  She will be taken off of it when hospital staff can be 
reasonably sure that she can protect her airway (by swallowing and 
coughing).

They started her on tube feeding, and a rehabilitative therapist has
started working with her to help maintain her muscle tone and dexterity.
The muscle tone of her left side was minimal last week, and is noticeably
improved this week.

And she looks awfully cute with a pony-tail on the top of her head.  :-)

Carol

Progress!!!!

She's regaining consciousness!  She's off the respirator and on an oxygen
mask.  Her vital signs are looking good.  She's opening her eyes more often
now and even tried to talk last night.  What she said was unintelligible,
but her vocal cords still work!

There's no solid estimation of how long before she's moved out of CCU, but
her doctor said that, if she continues to progress at this rate, she could
be moved inside of two weeks.

:-) :-) :-)

Carol

:-)

*Really* looking good now!  She is breathing on her own and has been
upgraded to stable condition.  She's still in the ICU/CCU ward, but
has been moved to a new bed and is not as "wired for sound" as she 
once was.  Her rehabilitative therapist has also had her on her feet
taking a few steps.

She's groggy, but definitely conscious and alert.  This morning she 
knew her name and age.  When I saw her this evening, I was able to
ask specific questions to receive nods or shakes of the head.  Once
in a while she would attempt to talk.  Although her voice is little
more than a hoarse whisper at this time, I could understand what she
was saying.

And I also had the pleasure of reading your cards and letters to her.
Needless to say, she was very touched and very appreciative of our
thought and caring.

She's doing better, but still has a ways to go - so, stay tuned, and 
keep those cards and letters coming!

Carol

:-)

Saw Elizabeth again tonight and her improvements are now surpassing
the frequency of these updates!  She's been moved to room 745 at
Memorial Hospital and is now receiving visitors.  Her left side is 
still much weaker than her right and she does tire easily, so, to
those of you who plan to visit her, please keep it moderate.  :-)

I *would* also include the category of those abroad who may wish to 
call her, EXCEPT that she still is unable to talk above a hoarse
whisper and phone conversations are a little out of the question for
the time being.

She does appreciate company and has expressed that the cards and 
letters are a definite day brightener.  On her behalf, thanks to all 
of you for your cards and warm wishes!  It's a wonderful feeling to
wake up to all this TLC!

Carol

    Many thanks for keeping us well-posted, Carol...it is _really_ a relief
    to hear of the rapid progress she's making.  May it continue unabated!
    
    						=maggie

    more thanks for the progress reports!  I'm glad to hear she's doing
    so well!
    
    theresa.

Hi, everyone!

Elizabeth has, indeed, been making more progress and has been moved to yet 
another room, as well as another hospital!  As of July 5th, she is at:

		Penrose Hospital  
		Rehab Unit  
		Room 326  
		2215 North Cascade Avenue  
		Colorado Springs, CO   80907  
		719 577-2145

She can talk on the phone, but her voice is still weak, so extended 
conversations are not recommended.

Elizabeth has been coming along fine in a lot of ways, but the rehab at 
Penrose is expected to quite a while.  I'm afraid we should expect her to 
be away from work for at least six months.  On the plus side, the ICU/CCU 
types are bowled over by her speedy recovery - they didn't expect her to 
be waking up until mid-July.  They have nothing but praise for her speedy
recovery.  :-)

And keep those cards and letters coming!  They're an absolute day
brightener and she *insists* on tearing them open and reading them
herself now!

Carol

    Maybe you can print out some of the best of Womannotes for her to
    read!
    
    -Tracy
    

    Tracy - That's a great idea!
    
    And her phone number at the hospital is now:
    
    		(719) 577-2133
    
    Carol
    

Elizabeth is out of the hospital now and back at home!

She's continuing rehabilitative therapy and won't be back at work for 
some time to come, but she'll be available via terminal (SSDEVO::YOUNGER)
for any questions we may have (please keep the work stuff at a minimum,
though - we want her to get BETTER).  :-)

Way to go, Elizabeth!!

Carol